---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We did not think of the great open…"
description: "\"“We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills and the winding streams with tangled growth, as 'wild'. Only to the white man w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/paul-goble-183735_children_we-did-not-think-of-the-great-open-plain_1818216.jpg"
---

#  We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful…

![“We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills and the winding streams with tangled growth, as 'wild'. Only to the white man was nature a 'wilderness' and only to him was the land 'infested' with 'wild' animals and 'savage' people. To us it was home. Earth was beautiful and…” quote by Paul Goble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/paul-goble-183735_children_we-did-not-think-of-the-great-open-plain_1818216.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/paul-goble-183735_children_we-did-not-think-of-the-great-open-plain_1818216.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/paul-goble-183735_children_we-did-not-think-of-the-great-open-plain_1818216.jpg)

> ““We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills and the winding streams with tangled growth, as 'wild'. Only to the white man was nature a 'wilderness' and only to him was the land 'infested' with 'wild' animals and 'savage' people. To us it was home. Earth was beautiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery." - Chief Standing River of the Lakota””

[Paul Goble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goble/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Lakota view nature as home, not wilderness, contrasting colonizer perspective.

**In simple terms:** Lakota see nature as home.

Key Takeaway

Respect indigenous environmental perspectives.

Themes

nature indigenous home colonialism perspective

Mood

reflective respectful

Type

historical philosophical

When to use this quote

- land management
- education curricula
- community storytelling
- policy making

Key Concepts

cultural ecology spiritual connection environmental ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does language shape our view of land?
- What can we learn from indigenous stewardship?

A Different Perspective

Modern development still threatens ecosystems.

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[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Lakota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lakota/) [Man Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-nature/) [Native american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/native-american/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Plains Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plains-beautiful-2171557/) [Rolling hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rolling-hills/) [Wild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wild/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/)

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